Majority of medicos call off agitation

A majority of the agitating medicos in Tamil Nadu have called off their stir against extension of MBBS course by one year, while students of six colleges in the state were continuing the protests.

Janakiraman, convenor of the Federation of Students of Medical Colleges in Tamil Nadu, an umbrella organisation spearheading the protests, told PTI that students of 10 medical colleges have called off their agitation and efforts were on to persuade the students of six other colleges.

A decision to withdraw the agitation was taken last night following talks between the medicos and state Health Minister MRK Panneerselvam, who assured them that Chief Minister M Karunanidhi would take up the issue with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss.

The medicos were protesting against Ramadoss's proposal to extend the duration of the course from the present five-and-a-half years to six-and-a-half years, making the medicos work in rural areas as part of their MBBS curriculum.

Despite several pleas by Ramadoss, Karunanidhi and Panneerselvam, the students were continuing their protests. Almost all political parties barring the PMK, founded by Anbumani Ramadoss's father and Ramadoss, had extended support to the agitators.